Overview

Role in the Swarm

Cerebrates were descended from the original zerg parasites of Zerus that existed before the coming of the xel'naga, albeit being much larger and endowed with much greater intelligence. Upon their creation by the Overmind each cerebrate and the brood it led was given a specific role which in turn shaped the cerebrate's[1] rudimentary[2] personality. Cerebrates further expanded the zerg hierarchy and came to rely on queens to oversee hive activity and overlords to relay commands to and directly control the brood's minions.[1] While the rigid hierarchy ensured efficiency the permanent death of a cerebrate could induce a complete reversal. Broods that lost their cerebrate frequently became uncontrollably destructive.[3] Cerebrates also oversaw the evolution of the Swarm.[4][5]

Externally, cerebrates appeared as giant, bloated slug-larvae with numerous purple limbs protruding from the sides. This was merely their external form, and the true form of a cerebrate (a ball of yellow light with extruding tentacles) would only be revealed once the carapace had been destroyed. That being said, the flesh could be regenerated as long as the Overmind willed it, bar abilities that nullified such an ability.[6]

Not long before the Great War, the Overmind began to rely on its cerebrates to a greater extent than it had done previously. They were, at this point, distinct beings, within a unified hive species.[2]

Psionic Powers

Cerebrates were often (perhaps always) powerful psychics, but these powers are usually limited to a specific area. For instance, one cerebrate may be able to create and reincarnate the powerful Torrasque,[7][8] while another may be able to fill its structures with vital energy.[8] Cerebrates possessed detection abilities similar to those of overlords.[9]

Reincarnation

One trait that all cerebrates shared was that of reincarnation. While the Overmind was alive, it could reincarnate a cerebrate through the use of cosmic energy. Slaying a cerebrate with this type of energy prevented reincarnation.[3]Zasz, cerebrate of the Garm Brood, was permanently killed in this way by DarkPrelateZeratul. This created a brief mental link between Zeratul and the Overmind; Zeratul learned of the Overmind's connection with the xel'naga and its plans for the protoss race,[10] while the Overmind learned the location of Aiur.[11] The Overmind went into silence following this, and did not recover until the zerg eradicated the Garm Brood.[12] Later, the protoss killed other cerebrates in deliberate attempts to "distract" the Overmind.[9]

Although their link with the Overmind granted them virtual invulnerability, it was not without its weaknesses. Cerebrates were not designed to exist without the Overmind, and were unable to sustain themselves for long after its death – a vulnerability which drove them to create a new one following the first Overmind's death.[13]

In this conflict, Kerrigan emerged triumphant, albeit through manipulation of those capable of slaying cerebrates. Those on Shakuras were destroyed as the result of an alliance between her and the protoss settling on that world.[17] The UED Expeditionary Force, while utilizing a psi disrupter, slew some cerebrates during their conquest of Char, the cerebrates not being resurrected during the battle.[8] Later, during Kerrigan's reconquest of the planet, the new Overmind was slain by the Dark Templar allied with/manipulated by her.[18] Upon the creature's death, the remaining cerebrates were killed[19] by the Dark Templar.[20] The lack of a controlling force was a partial explanation for their deaths.[13]

Some cerebrates survived the Char holocaust, at least for a time. The New Swarm led by Kaloth was one such example, but its power base was destroyed by Raynor's Raiders and protoss forces.[21] Kerrigan also retained at least one cerebrate which aided her in her infested terran project.[4] Still, it wasn't to last. Following the Brood War, all the remaining cerebrates were hunted down and exterminated by Kerrigan's forces and to best knowledge, there are none left.[22] Kerrigan's vision for the Swarm was quite different from that of the Overmind[23] and she had no use or desire to use the cerebrates,[13] not to mention the risk that they might once again try to form a new Overmind.[23] Instead, she replaced them with other intelligent minions—an advanced infested terran, Ethan Stewart[24] (now deceased)[25], as well as broodmothers.[26]

Known Cerebrates

A cerebrate's visage

Some cerebrates were named, others weren't—only after extended service to the Swarm did cerebrates gain the right to a name. Possession of a name was seen as a sign of prestige.[6]

↑Zeratul: "When I slew the Cerebrate on Char, I touched briefly with the essence of the Overmind. In that instant, my mind was filled with its thoughts, and I tell you now our worst fears have come true. The Zerg were indeed created by the ancient Xel'Naga, the same beings that empowered us in our infancy. But the Overmind grew beyond their constraints, and has at last come to finish the experiments they began so long ago." StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Level/area: Shadow Hunters (in English). 1998.

↑Overmind: "Yet shall their overweening pride be their downfall. For when the assassin Zeratul murdered Zasz, his mind touched with mine, and all his secrets were made known to me. I have taken from his mind the secret location of Aiur, the Protoss Homeworld." StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Level/area: Eye for an Eye (in English). 1998.